The Slumdog and Millionaire debate

I just watched Slumdog Millionaire. I had to. What if so much is being written and said about the film. Ever since, Big B reportedly expressed his disagreement about the film, the debate has heated up.

Not only the Indian media but also the International media paid their respect to Big B’s comments. The Guardian as well as BBC had reports about the Bollywood star’s views.

One question that both the critics and supporters of the film have raised is:

If this film was made by a local director and not by a Western biggie, would our reaction to the film have been the same?

Whether it is the seasoned blogger, Amit Verma who has heaved praise on the film or the critical Arindam Choudhuri who has urged Indians not to waste their time in watching the film, the same question has been raised.

But, the truth is, the film has not been made by a local Indian director and therefore the question remains unanswerable.

It is true that the film illogically shows every negative thing about India happening in the protagonist’s life...slums, open-air lavatories, riots, underworld, prostitution, brothels, begging, child labour, blinding and maiming of kids to make them into “better beggars”, petty pedlars, traffic jams, irresponsible call centre executives... It fails to provide a balanced view.

That the maestro A.R. Rahman has secured three Oscar nominations is one convincing factor. Nonetheless, it can also be asked: Is his music in Slumdog Millionaire his best performance? Has he not scored music in Indian music that was even better?

Contrarily if Slumdog Millionaire offends or pleases, it is in the nature of art to do so.

Still confused? Watch it for yourself and decide.